Do childminders need a packed lunch policy?

The DfE funding statutory guidance states that parents of funded children can either pay for the food that we provide or, if they do not want to pay, they must be allowed to bring their own.

This has caused a lot of concerns from early years providers who are worried about complying with the EYFS requirement that food provided in the setting must be, ‘Healthy, balanced and nutritious’ (paragraph 3.62), especially knowing that Ofsted inspectors have, in the past, made judgements on the quality of food provided by parents for their child. There are also new safer food requirements in the EYFS from September 2025 with which providers must comply (paragraphs 3.63-3.70).

An addendum to the DfE funding statutory guidance for local authorities states that providers, ‘May choose to have a packed lunch policy regarding what food is permitted’ to share with parents.

If you do want to write a packed lunch policy to share with parents, there is a free sample available on the Childminder Policies page. However, DfE has confirmed that while it is ‘good practice’ it will not be a requirement for childminders to have a written policy.

The DfE nutrition guidance states, ‘Providers are not required to reheat food brought in by children.’ If you want to share information with parents about why you do not want to re-heat packed lunches, you will find guidance on the funded fees policy page.

Lunch bag considerations:

There are a number of things you need to think about when parents bring packed lunches to the setting including, for example:

• Food and nutrition policy – DfE state it will be ‘good practice’ to have this policy, but it will not be a requirement for childminders to write a policy. If you do write a policy, it should be based on the DfE ‘Early years foundation stage nutrition guidance’ (April 2025). This statutory guidance also includes information about food for celebrations and special occasions. The policy will help you to share with parents that you have a, ‘Regulatory obligation to provide healthy, balanced and nutritious food to children and encourage healthier food choices for packed lunches.’


• Advice for parents on baby feeding and weaning from NHS Start for Life.


• Guidance for parents on allergies and special dietary needs. For example, if there is a ‘no nuts’ policy in the setting due to allergies, they must ensure food is labelled.


• Information about safe food from DfE for parents and providers.


• Choking advice – for example, the Food Standards Authority (FSA) has a useful poster on choking which you can share with parents. For example, if they send grapes for their child, they need to cut them.


• Keeping food safe – the Safer Food Better Business for Childminders guidance ‘Keeping food cold’ page has some useful information on how to safely store children’s lunch bags. This includes a ‘maximum of 4 hours’ rule for eating non-refrigerated food as long as it is in an insulated cool bag ‘with frozen bottles of water or ice blocks.’ DfE refer to this guidance when stating that providers do not need to keep children’s lunch bags in a fridge and state, ‘Providers do not have to provide refrigeration for packed lunches of children.’

Things you need to do:

• Ask parents to complete documentation relating to their child’s dietary needs (intolerances, allergies, celiac disease, likes, dislikes etc) for their child and update it regularly.


• Share information with parents in your ‘Food and nutrition’ and ‘Packed lunch’ policies either verbally or in writing – for example, EYFS requirements for healthy eating and DfE expectations for food provision, weaning, food safety, choking etc.


• Check the lunch bag is labelled with the child’s name.


• Check lunches when children arrive to ensure they are safe – for example, there is a freezer block or frozen bottle of water in the lunch bag and food does not contain allergens if this is a concern.


• Ensure parents have cut up food that might be a choking risk.


• Store lunch bags in a secure place where children cannot access them until the mealtime.


• Ensure there is someone with an up to date paediatric first aid qualification in the room when children are eating.


• Sit with children when they are eating, forward facing where possible, to monitor for choking and allergies as well as to stop food sharing.


• Ensure if toddlers are weaning that food is suitable for their stage of weaning – for example, blended or chopped, cut up or safe for babies who are following baby-led weaning.


• Ensure the dietary needs of children with, for example, arfid and food neurodiversity are supported in the setting. You will need to be ready to advocate for the children by, for example, ensuring Ofsted are made aware of the ‘context’ of children’s lunch bag contents.


• ‘Educate’ parents about healthy eating to comply with Ofsted expectations – for example, share information about appropriate packed lunch food and drink and explain why you cannot give children unhealthy food.

Things you need to consider

• How will you make time in the morning to check lunch bags as they arrive to ensure contents are safe and suitable for the child? Will you have time to do this for every child if you have a large group?


• What will you do if a child arrives with a chocolate spread sandwich on white bread, a chocolate bar and a bag of salted crisps? How will you explain to parents that this is not a ‘healthy, nutritious and balanced’ diet as required by the EYFS? What will you do if this causes conflict with the parent and they threaten to make a complaint or take their child out of your setting?


• What will you do if a child arrives with a nut spread sandwich or snack bar containing peanuts when another child in the setting has a food allergy? Will you provide replacement food? How will you speak to parents and explain the importance of checking food contents and labels?


• What will you do if parents send their child with inappropriate or unhealthy food such as a Pot Noodle? How will you ‘educate’ (Ofsted) them about healthy eating if they are resistant and say it is their choice what they feed their child?


• What will you do if you have planned a picnic and a child arrives with food that needs to be re-heated? Will you make a quick sandwich for them or cancel the picnic? If you do make something different for the child, will you charge parents for the food?


• How will you explain safe eating to parents who do not cut up grapes or who routinely send children with food that has a high sugar and / or fat content?
• What will you do if a parent forgets their child’s packed lunch? Will you ask them to go home and collect it, or will you provide food and invoice the parent? What if they refuse to pay because funding means free in their view?


• Where will you store lunch bags, so they are out of the sun and not accessible to children? What if a child wants something from their lunch bag and takes it from their own or another child’s bag without you seeing, risking choking and allergic reactions?


• What will you do if a child’s lunch bag is routinely dirty or full of mouldy food from days before? How will you talk to parents about hygiene and safety?


• What will you do if a child’s insulated lunch bag is broken or damaged inside and the insulation no longer keeps food cold enough to be safe for 4 hours?


• How will you manage birthdays and celebrations – will you still allow parents to send in cake or follow the DfE nutrition statutory guidance and suggest they send activities instead? DfE remind practitioners in the guidance that, ‘It is important to ensure that food provided from home aligns with the healthy options offered by the setting, so that children receive consistent messages about nutrition.’

Do you have any questions about packed lunches?

You can share information with other providers on the Independent Childminders Facebook group or ask a question.